We Should Do That In America 1---Lauren Casey

We were in Korea for nearly a month and saw a lot of interesting things, but I bet you could be there for only a few moments to pick up on the many, obvious cultural differences. Some of these differences were very strange, such as the random animal parts that were served at one memorable dinner, but others, in my opinion, need to be adopted in the United States.
When we first arrived at Sookindang, the building where the students resided, we were greeted by our house mother who promptly instructed us to remove our shoes. Shoe removal is a common practice not only in Korea, but in most other Asian nations. There is the obvious reason of cleanliness, but I did a little research and found that there are much deeper reasons for this practice. Culturally it is rude to leave ones shoes on when entering another’s home because the purpose is to keep the house clean as well as quiet. Another, more spiritual reason that I discovered is that leaving shoes outside is symbolic of leaving the world outside. The removal of the shoes is letting your mind know that you are transitioning from work to the sanctuary of your home. This seems like such a relaxing idea, but I doubt the typical workaholic American will have this same mindset when removing their shoes.
I know many Americans that already have this policy in their house, and in fact, it is common practice in Hawaiian homes to remove ones shoes. The cleanliness factor is the primary reason for why most American would do this, but this policy may not be greeted with open arms with all house guests. Nearly every day when I would come in the door and remove my shoes I would think of Sex and the City. There is an episode where the shows main character, Carrie, is instructed to remove her shoes by the hostess of the party she is attending. She reluctantly does so while complaining that she is so tiny without her 4 inch heels. At the end of the party, Carrie goes to grab her shoes and someone has stolen her $500 Minolo Blaniks. I know very few people who have shoes that are worth stealing, so this should not be an issue if someone should decide to adopt this in their household.
This may not become common practice in all American homes, but I know that since I have been back from Korea there have been very few days when I have walked into my house with shoes on.